Will You Marry Me?
by Em Pataki
Summary: Arnold and Helga are given a marital assignment with a list of requirements to follow.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The List

Arnold and Helga were in the middle of their eighth grade year. They didn't know what they were happier about; the fact that they were almost through with middle school or the idea of starting high school in an open relationship.

One morning Helga was sitting in class, doodling pictures of her beloved as she sat behind him while listening in on his conversation.

"Man Arnold! Can you believe the assignment Simmons told us about yesterday?" Gerald exclaimed, as Arnold didn't seem to be bothered by it.

"It's not that strange. I mean, we already did the egg project."

"Yeah, twice." Gerald pointed out, seeing the teacher walk in.

All the students turned to face the front of the room, while Arnold took one last look at Helga. He watched her smiling at her notebook with her face planted in her hand, knowing what she must be doing (or at least thinking about).

"Sorry I'm late class. I was printing out your instruction sheets for your new assignment." Mr. Simmons began to explain, before being interrupted.

"Another stupid assignment! But why?!" Harold whined, while the class turned to give him puzzled looks.

"Harold, this is school. We're going to be given an assignment for something every day." Rhonda sighed at his ignorance.

"Class, please settle down. Now as I was saying, I printed off your list of instructions. Just like your egg assignment, you'll practice being married this weekend, and keep a journal of it."

"Are we going to have to present this to the class again?" Sid asked.

"Actually Sid, no. This list is full of very special trust exercises a good marital couple would be willing to do with one another." Mr. Simmons explained excitedly.

Arnold sat there reviewing the list as Helga continued to smile at her drawings, thinking to herself…

 _Oh Arnold! How wonderful this weekend shall be! Spending time with my said to be husband, and perhaps even one day, my actual husband! What special moments shall we be sharing with one another these next few days? What tend…_

"Helga? Helga? Helga!" a voice called, interrupting her personal thoughts.

"Huh? I mean, what do you want football head?!" she scowled, snapping out of her daze.

"I was just passing back our math assignment." Arnold said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah, yeah, hand 'em over! Sheesh!" the vexed girl snapped, snatching the papers from him.

A moment after Arnold had turned back in his seat, the class heard Mr. Simmons ask "Yes Stinky, what is it?"

"I reckon I don't remember learning these questions in our math book?" Stinky said, scratching his head.

"They're just basic fractions. Nothing new was put in." the perky teacher assured him.

"Well, okie dokie then." Stinky shrugged his shoulders, staring at the paper, while the rest of the students went back to working.

 _A Few Hours Later_

The lunch bell finally came, and the students all headed to hand in their assignments.

Before half of them could head out the door, Mr. Simmons called out "Umm Stinky, what is this note doing with your paper?"

"You said they were just basic fractions, so I answered them 'best I could?" the country boy replied, as Arnold stood there listening in on the conversation.

"Stinky, this is not a list of fractions. It's a list of questions someone must have written when they should have been working on the assignment." Mr. Simmons said disappointedly.

"Aww gee." Stinky sighed, full of embarrassment, as he headed towards the cafeteria.

While Arnold stood in the hall, he was tempted to explain to Stinky what had happened until he heard…

"Oh brother, what a dweeb!"

The blonde boy turned to see his girlfriend standing with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. He began to rub his neck nervously as he stuttered "Uhh yeah. That note was actually for you."

Cocking her brow at the information, Helga leered "Pttss...and you thought the best way to contact me would be by mixing your personal feelings in with our math assignment?"

"Whatever you say Helga." he sighed, taking her hand, leading her down the hallway to the cafeteria.

 _Cafeteria_

"Well, should we sit with Gerald and Phoebe, or do you want to talk about this weekend?" he asked curiously.

"Unless Simmons has double dating on that list of marital accomplishments of his, I don't see them being of much help to us."

Rubbing her hand, Arnold revealed his signature smile and said "That could be our special activity."

Helga swooned at the sweet gesture, and her boyfriend's anxious desire to start on their assignment. After realizing the trance she had fallen into, the blonde girl vigorously shook her head and scoffed "Let's get something to eat. What kind of husband doesn't treat his wife to lunch? Sheesh!"

As they stood there, the two were too wrapped up in their thoughts about the activities they would be doing together as a married couple to notice their two best friends hadn't taken their eyes off of them.

"Mm, mm, mmm! Can you imagine Pataki standing in front of Arnold in the lunch line to hold his hand, rather than to steal his food?" Gerald asked, shaking his head while holding his sandwich.

Phoebe smiled at her best friend's attempt to loosen up as she replied "It is a bit precarious to see. However, now that Arnold has proven he's able to see past her rough exterior, along with the class being well aware of their relationship, she's learning to openly express herself."

"Yet, she can't accept a stack of papers from him without blowing HER stack?" he pointed out, lifting an eyebrow.

"Although she's not willing to admit such personal information, her daydreaming is often based on intimate moments between her and Arnold. Therefore, it would seem a bit suspicious to simply smile at him after being interrupted from one." Phoebe pointed out, while Gerald once again shook his head.

As Phoebe was explaining the reason behind Helga's conflicted behavior, the lunch line began to move.

 _Another Table_

"I don't reckon I'll be doing too well on this assignment. On account of I don't know much about relationships." Stinky sighed, while taking a bite of his lemon pudding.

"Ohh I hate school! Why do we have to pretend to be married? It's not like…" Harold moped, before feeling a tap on his shoulder.

The husky boy turned to see his partner for the assignment standing behind him. "Hello Harold. I hope you'll be ready to complete our list of marital assignments after school."

Staring at the stylish girl, Harold sighed "I guess so."

"Good. And you better not mess anything up. If this turns out like the egg project, I swear…" Rhonda pointed a finger before being interrupted.

"What happened with your egg project?" Sid asked.

Placing her hands on her hips, Rhonda sneered "Harold here seemed to think being a responsible parent meant putting his stomach before his child."

"Bow howdy! Does that mean you ate the egg Harold?"

"Whilikers! Is that why is was all filled with cracks when you brought it back to school?" Stinky exclaimed.

Clenching his fists at the accusations, Harold hollered "Shut up or I'll pound ya!"

 _Lunch Line_

While moving through the line with his partner, Arnold asked "So, have you thought about what you'd like to do this weekend?"

"That depends. What was on that list Simmons gave you?" Helga asked, while grabbing herself a burger and two chocolate milks with two bendy straws.

"I'll show it to you when we sit down." he said, grabbing the last tapioca pudding.

"Are you sure you won't pass it to the wrong table on our way over there?" she smirked.

"Whatever you say Helga." he sighed, leading her to a private table.

As the two sat down, Helga wasted no time digging into her food. Arnold couldn't help but smile at her, while pointing out "Are you showing me how you'll be eating at our wedding, or what our kids will be like?"

Glaring at him, she replied "I don't know. Are you asking to meet Ol' Betsy, or the Five Avengers?"

By the time Arnold found the list in his bag, Helga was finished with her burger and reaching for her chocolate milk.

"So what kind of _fun_ are we looking at here?" she insisted on knowing, leaning back in her seat with her milk.

Arnold handed over the paper as she set aside her milk, crossing her legs with an arm hanging over the chair.

Marital Assignment

Cook

Clean

Share a secret

The gratitude game

A special activity

A thoughtful gesture.

Leaning forward in her seat, while Arnold continued to eat, Helga cocked her eyebrow and asked "What the heck is the gratitude game?"

Setting aside his tray, Arnold replied "I think it's when you're supposed to take turns reminding your partner what you love about them, and are thankful for."

Helga rolled her eyes as Arnold began to blush. "So, I'm supposed to say I love the way you pass what are meant to be my heartfelt notes to our idiot classmates? Pttss...makes sense."

"Uhh kind of. How about you come over after school? We'll cook and clean, do two more things from the list tomorrow, and finish it on Sunday." he explained, while seeing her shrug her shoulders.

"Eh, works for me." she replied, setting aside the list.

Arnold reached for his tapioca as he said, "I'm kind of surprised you didn't take this when we were in the lunch line."

"I'm not THAT selfish." she glared, leaning back in her seat with her arms crossed, expecting a little more credit than that.

"Did you want it?" he offered, holding it out to her.

"Nah, you give me yours every day. Besides, now we can say I got my thoughtful gesture out of the way." she laughed.

Arnold sighed at her reason for turning down the sweet treat and said "Whatever you say Helga."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Let's Get Started

The bell for the last class came and Arnold turned around to see Helga grabbing her things. Thankfully, they didn't have an egg to keep an eye on this time.

"Well buddy, enjoy your weekend. Try not to burn the house down Pataki." Gerald winked, while seeing her glare.

"Thanks Gerald. I'm sure we will. You guys have fun too."

"Whatever you say Arnold."

The couples then exited the classroom as Arnold asked "Have you given any thought to what you want to cook, Helga?"

"Pttss...I figured we'd just grab a burger on the way back to your place. Then we can say we cleaned by throwing it's wrapper in the garbage when we made it into your kitchen." she scoffed.

"Yeah, I don't think we'd get graded too well on that. Besides, this weekend's supposed to be special." he reminded her.

"What exactly did you have in mind hairboy?" she asked, knowing if she did try to cook, it wouldn't end well.

"We could make some spaghetti? I've watched my grandma do it hundreds of times and despite the crazy outfits she wears while doing it, I think all you have to do is pour the noodles into some hot water and stir it." Arnold explained eagerly.

"Eh works for me. Better than being at my place, listening to Olga brag about her famous lemon souffle." she insisted.

 _The Boarding House_

When they made it to Arnold's house, he gestured for her to stand out of the way of the door.

Helga stood aside, watching the sea of pets race down the porch steps. "Criminy! What sane married couple would possess that many pets?"

"There's a first time for everything." Arnold smiled, while Helga felt her heart skip a beat. Could he actually picture himself marrying her one day?

After watching the pets run outside, the two of them then entered the kitchen to see Phil reading his newspaper.

"Hey shortman! How was school?" the elderly man asked.

"Pretty good. Has grandma already started dinner?" Arnold asked, hoping Phil would be okay with him and Helga using the kitchen.

"Afraid not shortman. She's busy messing with that tiger fly of hers." Phil replied, while Helga cocked her brow.

"Well, Helga and I have a project for school that involves cooking. Would it be okay if we used the kitchen?" Arnold asked hopefully.

"You bet shortman. Just remember to make enough for me! Hehe." Phil winked.

"Right grandpa."

Phil then left the room as Arnold began searching the cabinets for some spaghetti and sauce.

"A tiger fly? Do we need to contact Nadine?" Helga smirked, as she sat down at the table.

"No, my grandma just gets a little carried away with her imagination." Arnold explained.

"That explains where your inability to keep your head out of the clouds came from." Helga replied, as she watched Arnold pull out the food and necessary cooking attire.

"Maybe from you? You seem to spend most of the class daydreaming." he smiled, as she lifted her head from her hand, blushing heavily.

"Oh what do you know football head?" she scoffed, leaning back in her seat with her arms crossed.

 _Rhonda's House_

Harold sat in the Lloyd's living room, waiting for Rhonda to finish reviewing the marriage list of activities.

"It says we're supposed to make dinner together." Rhonda began.

"Let's just go to the arcade and get four extra large pizzas!" Harold suggested, standing from the couch, as if he was on his way there already.

"We're supposed to be _making_ the meal, not ordering it Harold." Rhonda corrected him.

The husky boy plopped down on the sofa with his arms crossed and pouted "Ohh fine! What do we have to do?"

"Don't be ridiculous. _We_ won't be making the meal. My butler will prepare a homemade meal we can write about in our journal." Rhonda explained.

 _The Boarding House_

Helga stood beside the stove with her partner, attempting to appear interested in the assignment. Although housework wasn't her thing, spending time with Arnold made up for any unpleasant task she was given to do.

"The box says we have to let the water boil for a few minutes before we can pour the noodles in." Arnold explained as he began to turn on the stove.

"So what do we do until then? Stare and think about how fascinating the bubbles are?" Helga asked, not excited about the idea of waiting for the water to boil

"We could share a secret with each other. That was on the list wasn't it?" the blonde boy smiled, as he watched his friend's eyes widen.

"I uhh...thought we were saving that for tomorrow." Helga said nervously.

"We can share more than one. Besides, we'll be sharing all sorts of information with one another when we play the gratitude game." he reminded her.

As she looked into his emerald eyes, taking notice of his signature smile that her sensitive side could never resist, she began to speak "Arnold, I…"

Just then, the water began to bubble higher than expected. "Guess I should turn the pressure down a bit." Arnold laughed.

"Well, we know it's hot enough to dump the noodles in now." Helga said wittily.

Arnold grabbed a spoon and began to stir it, forgetting for a moment about their secret.

"There are some plates in that cabinet if you want to grab some for us." he pointed out, while Helga happily did so. As she sat and waited for the noodles to finish, she thought to herself…

 _What secret could I share with him? He already knows about my feelings for him. That doesn't mean he knows every lunatic scheme I pulled to make it happen though. Criminy! What am I supposed to…_

"Helga?"

"Huh?" she asked, darting her eyes towards him.

"The noodles are done." he pointed out, handing her a plate.

"Oh yeah, thanks." she sighed, taking the plate as he sat down beside her.

 _Phoebe's House_

"Thanks for having me over babe! We'd never get the assignment done at my place." Gerald said, thinking about all the times his siblings had interfered with his work.

"It was my pleasure Gerald. Although my parents already made the meal, we could simply get their instructions for how the meal was prepared. Cleaning up afterwards should be quite easy as well." Phoebe explained, as she sat at the table with her rice and spring rolls.

"What is it you're working on Phoebe dearest?" Kyo was curious to know.

"Our class has been given a complete list of marital tasks to perform and give a written description of with the person we were partnered with." the intelligent girl explained.

"Ah well then let us toast to your marriage." Kyo said, raising his glass.

"Bottoms up!" Reba happily toasted her daughter and the assignment she had no doubt Phoebe would do well on.

 _The Boarding House_

Listening to Helga slurp her noodles, with her elbows on the table, Arnold couldn't help but say "You eat so sophisticatedly."

Helga glared at his comment, knowing what he was referring to. "Hey! At least I was nice enough to take you to dinner. I don't recall you ever thanking me for that night. Talk about showing your mate gratitude. Sheesh!" she scowled.

"You're right, it's no secret that I never did thank you. Why don't you share a secret with me now, and then I'll thank you for that." he smiled.

 _We're supposed to write about this stuff in those stupid journals! What secret could I possible tell him that wouldn't humiliate us?_

"Arnold, even though you know my biggest secret already, there are still so many crazy things I've done over the years." Helga gulped, as she sat there nervously twiddling her thumbs.

"And I want to know about them." he assured her.

"But we're supposed to write about this stupid stuff in that journal. I mean criminy! I'm not going to start blabbing all my personal, intimate feelings I have for you, just so Mr. Special can get a kick out of grading them." she scowled.

Moving their chairs together, Arnold wrapped his arm around her and said "Helga, we don't have to write about anything you don't want to. I still want you to tell me all that stuff though. Being married is about being honest with one another. Your spouse is the last person you should feel ashamed to share something about yourself with."

As she rested her head on his shoulder, she looked at their unfinished plates of spaghetti. "I guess we should clean up now, so we can write about that."

After ten minutes of doing the dishes and making sure to set aside some food for Phil, Arnold said "I guess we can go write about how much fun we had watching the water boil."

Rather than responding, Helga followed him up the stairs, wondering what they would actually be talking about.

 _Rhonda's House_

Rhonda sat at one end of the table, eating the chicken and dumplings her cook had been nice enough to make for her and Harold.

The modish girl looked across the table to see her partner digging into his dish. A repulsed look formed on Rhonda's face as she saw Harold with his elbows on the table, and food dripping down his face.

"Uhhh! What are you doing Harold?!"

"What? We're supposed to be eating for the assignment aren't we?" the hungry boy reminded her.

"You are not eating. You are acting like a pig! A good married couple places their napkins in their laps, sits up straight, and politely discusses what went on during their day."

Leaning back in his chair, Harold sighed and said "Fine. I went to school then came here and ate because I was really, really hungry."

As she watched her partner once again dive into the meal, Rhonda threw her arms in the air and sighed "This is a disaster."

 _The Boarding House_

Having completed two things on the list (cooking and cleaning), Arnold led Helga up to his room. When they made it upstairs, he took out the notepad he had used to do their egg project with.

"Well, this should be a pretty simple day to write about. That is, unless you'd like to start with the moment we sat together in the cafeteria?" he couldn't help but laugh, thinking back to the thoughtful gesture she recommended including in the paper.

"Oh don't flatter yourself."

 _Today my wife an I had lunch together if the cafeteria…_

"Criminy! You just made it sound like we're a couple of twenty year olds still stuck in middle school."

 _She was nice enough to give me the last tapioca pudding they were serving in the lunch line. After school ended, she and I came back to my place to cook spaghetti for dinner._

"Now it sounds like we're a divorced couple that still eats together."

 _My favorite part of the meal was sitting beside her, wrapping my arm around her, discussing the fun times we'd be sharing this weekend._

"Uhhh are you sure you want to include that part?" Helga blushed heavily.

"Like you said, he's going to be getting a kick out of reading those types of things." Arnold couldn't help but laugh.

 _When dinner was over, she and I washed the dishes, while remembering to save some pasta for my grandpa._

"Yeah, we wouldn't want him to feel left out." she smirked, watching Arnold set the notepad aside.

As he sat beside her on the bed, taking her hand in his, he hopefully asked "So, are you going to tell me a secret?"

"I don't know anything that won't humiliate me. Just ask me a question, and I'll answer it." she sighed, watching his smile grow widely.

"Hmm...why were you dressed like Lila at Rhonda's party? Not that it wasn't a great costume, but I thought you hated her?" Arnold asked, wishing she would just start to pour her heart out, rather than make him think of questions.

"Pttss...of course your mind jumps to little miss perfect. Oh brother." she leered.

"Well, you said I could ask you anything." he reminded her, shrugging his shoulders.

Sighing deeply, she replied "I just wanted you to notice me, and I knew it was never going to happen if I kept acting mean, nasty and insensitive."

"Trust me, I noticed you." he laughed, while seeing (what was growing to be) the annoyed pre-teen roll her eyes.

"Yeah, but not in the way I wanted you too, headboy!" she scowled.

"So, you decided to dress up like Lila?"

"More like got her to coach me day and night from the moment Rhonda told us about her party." she explained, angrily gripping his hands, thinking back to the week.

"What made you decide to stop?"

"Well, you accidently CALLING me Lila didn't exactly encourage me to believe you were hanging around me because you liked ME." she said sadly, remembering the heartbreak she felt the moment Arnold walked away after seeing she had taken off her costume.

As the blonde boy watched her sad eyes lower to the floor, he turned her face towards his.

"You didn't have to do that Helga. If you had just acted sweet like that, I would have enjoyed being around you no matter what you were wearing." he said, pulling her close to kiss her. As she sat beside him, feeling him run his fingers through her hair, breathing softly against her face, she thought to herself…

 _Why do I always have such a hard time opening up when he always makes me feel so amazing every time I do?_

As he pulled away from her, she sat there watching him try to think of another question.

"Hmm...what else can I ask?"

Her eyes then widened as she began to pull away. "Hey! I think it's MY turn to ask a secret."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I don't have too many though." he laughed.

"Pttss...of course not. You spend as much time sharing your business as you do going around butting into other people's business." she reminded him.

Rolling his eyes at her, he replied "Well, what would YOU like to know about me?"

Helga grinned widely at the chance to put him in the vulnerable position. It wasn't as big a deal to him as it was to her however.

"Well seeing as how this weekend is based on marriage, what was your marriage dream about in fourth grade? You know, when Princess brought that stupid origami marriage predictor to class and wouldn't stop bugging people about who they would end up spending the rest of their lives with."

Arnold lifted an eyebrow as he replied "Wait, how did you know I had a marriage dream that night?"

Helga began to blush after remembering she had never told Arnold about listening in on his conversation with Gerald on the bus the next morning.

"Oh come on. Something as shocking as marrying me had to have sent some type of crazy thoughts through your mind that night." she laughed, tugging at her collar.

"How did you know she said I was going to marry you?" he wondered.

Rolling her eyes, she replied "I think we've established all I ever used to do was stalk you. Doi!"

"Whatever you say Helga. Anyway, like you said I was pretty shocked when the game kept saying over and over that we would end up together. I went to bed that night dreaming I lived with you and your family." he began to explain as she cocked her brow.

"Arnold, what in the heck makes you believe I would spend anymore time with them than I had to?"

"I don't know? It was just a dream. Anyway, I dreamt I was working for your dad and we ended up having a bunch of kids that I was too tired to take care of and you didn't want to help with."

Crossing her arms at his poor judgement of her, Helga sighed "Gee, way to lay the guilt trip on someone."

"In the end, I made you admit you're not a bad person. That you have a sensitive side and actual feelings." he said, taking back her hand.

As she smiled at him, while feeling him gently rub it, she said softly "Yeah I know."

As he leaned in to kiss her, he whispered "I think it's my turn to ask a question."

Chills went streaming through her listening to this as he pressed his warm lips against hers. What intimate secret was he going to ask about next?

"Alright football head, what else ya got?" she sighed.

Scratching the back of his head, he replied "Are you sure you don't just want to start telling me everything?"

Rolling her eyes, she replied "No? That's why they're called _secrets!_ Doi!"

"Whatever you say Helga. I know something." he smiled, while feeling her squeeze his hands tightly.

"What were you and Phoebe doing on my fire escape in the middle of the night a few years ago?" he asked.

"Uhh are you sure you weren't just dreaming about that two?" Helga laughed, looking away from him.

Turning her face towards his, he replied "Pretty sure."

"Fine. Thanks to Miriam's impressive parenting skills, I came home one day to find there was no food in the house. Then she tells me she left the groceries on top of the car when she went to the store...big shocker! I ended up eating pork rinds for the next three days." Helga began to explain as Arnold couldn't help but butt in.

"What does that have to do with why you were on my fire escape?"

"Story's not over headboy! After spending half the week waking up at your house, I asked Pheebs to spend the night at my place; keep an eye on me."

"You woke up at my place? I never saw you here?" Arnold asked, full of concern.

"Yeah well, that's because I scurried out the moment I woke up each time. Anyway, the night you saw us over here, Pheebs told me pork rinds were what were causing my problem." she smirked.

Trying not to laugh, Arnold said "I guess the class should have been paying more attention to Mr. Simmons' health lecture."

"That or Miriam should have been paying more attention to where she placed the groceries. Oh brother!" she scoffed.

Arnold wrapped his arm around his tense girlfriend, laying her head down on his shoulder. As he rubbed her arm back and forth, he said "I guess it's your turn to ask me something."

"Uhhh I don't know what else to ask about you. I mean criminy, you're an open book football head." she replied, lifting up her head.

"Yeah, I'm not too good at keeping secrets." he replied, scratching his head.

Arnold wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight, thinking about how close just sharing those few things had brought them. As Helga sat there, enjoying the warm embrace, a memory came to her mind.

"Okay, I just thought of something." she said proudly.

"What is it?" he wondered, letting go of her.

"Why were you so happy to see me on the field and unaware of who our classmates were the day you were supposed to be visiting your lame-o cousin Arnie?" she asked, cocking her brow.

"Oh, I kind of had a nightmare that night about going to visit him." he began.

"What made you believe the dream could be any worse than the actual visit?" she had to know.

"Well, in the dream all of our friends were there, but they had switched personalities." he began to explain.

"Oh this sounds good…" she grinned widely as he continued.

"Stinky was smart while Phoebe was, uhh…"

"An idiot." she finished bluntly.

"Pretty much. Rhonda was a slob while Harold dressed nicely."

"Pttss...yeah, that'll be the day!"

"Sid was calm about everything, and Gerald over-reacted easily."

"About what? Getting a haircut?" she scoffed.

"And Lila was Arnie's girlfriend, while you were…" he began as her eyes widened.

"Yeah?" she asked, growing impatient.

"You were really sweet. Only you didn't like me, you liked Arnie." Arnold said regretfully as Helga frowned.

"Arnold, what in the heck makes you think I would EVER have feelings for that lunatic?"

"Like I said Helga, it was just a dream. I woke up the next morning, unsure of what day it was. I was so relieved to find everyone acting normally on the field."

"Everyone except you that is."

"Yeah. Well, that's why I was acting that way. It's funny how relieved I was to see you as your normal angry self." he said, kissing her on the cheek.

Helga's eyes fell half lidded, thinking back to the private moment she had after he hugged her that day. Holding her locket to her chest, daydreaming about maybe one day sharing many more close moments with him.

"I guess I get to ask you something now." he smiled, interrupting her thoughts.

"You don't sound too excited this time." she couldn't help but point out.

"I know how uncomfortable you still are revealing this stuff to me. I wish you weren't though. I love how close it brings us, and I would never judge you for anything." he assured her.

Listening to words such as these always reminded her how lucky she was to have someone so sensitive and open minded not only be with, but actually care for someone as insecure as her.

Rather than responding to him, she pulled his face close, pressing her lips firmly against his. Arnold knew that while Helga appeared as an aggressive person to the outside world, she had a passionate side like no other he had ever known.

 _Oh my beloved! Why can't I set aside my rough exterior and pour out my heart the way you have done to me? Why can't I simply trust you with the truth of my fragile soul rather than dealing out these harsh brutalities?_

"You can ask me something else. If it gets put in that stupid journal though, Ol' Betsy will be the one giving you the review." she glared, while he was in no way affected by her threat.

"Hmm...let's see. I'm trying to think back to fourth grade. That's when you lead your 'secret-stalker' life I was unaware of." he laughed, knowing he was pressing his luck.

"Oh just ask your question. Sheesh." she demanded, not amused with his flirting techniques.

"Why did you end up playing Juliet in our school play? I didn't think you liked that sort of thing." he asked, running his fingers through her hair.

"Pttss...ya got that right!" she scoffed.

"Why'd you do it then?" he wondered, leaning his head on his hand, looking down at her nervous eyes.

"Hmm...let's see. Why would Helga G. Pataki want a part in a play where the two main characters share a passionate kiss and one of those characters just happens to be the boy of her dreams?"

"Oh...well I guess that explains why the kiss you gave me lasted longer than the play itself." he laughed. "How'd you end up getting the part? Rhonda couldn't stop bragging about it!"

"Let's just say I took care of the girls one by one. Giving them all reasons to believe it wasn't the right part for them to be playing." she blushed, while seeing him raise an eyebrow.

"What do you mean you 'took care of them?'" he couldn't help but ask, while she sighed at his nosiness.

"Well, Princess was a piece of cake. I just showed her a crazy outfit she would be wearing if she played the part, that I made myself."

"Yeah, I can't see her going through with that."

"Then all I had to do to get rid of Sheena was tell her how violent the play was. What kind of idiot auditions for a play without knowing what it's about?" she wondered.

"Well, not everyone's as tough as you are Helga. They're also not as sweet as you are." he winked.

Helga swooned at the compliment, and being reminded once again that the boy of her dreams liked her for who she was.

"So, who else did you have to get rid of?"

"I offered to 'help' Pheebs with her lines. All I had to do was make her believe she could end up with an intense case of stage fright."

"I'm sure she would have let you have the part if you asked. I mean, she is your best friend." Arnold pointed out, while shrugging his shoulders.

"Maybe, but there was still one more person ahead of me...little miss perfect!" Helga growled at the memory.

Picturing the sweet, innocent person Lila was known to be, Arnold said "She must have been easy to get rid of."

Helga propped herself up on her elbows, astounded at the remark. "Are you kidding?! Nothing scared her! That's why she's called 'little miss perfect!'"

"How'd you get rid of her then?" he asked curiously.

"She wouldn't back down unless I admitted I liked you." Helga sighed, thinking back to that frustrating moment.

"That was nice of her. I'm shocked she never said anything."

"I threatened to strangle her with my bare hands if she spilled the beans to anyone!" Helga explained, while a warm smile formed on Arnold's face.

"Sounds like a lot of work for just one kiss."

"I was worth it." she blushed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Arnold smiled at his partner who he'd just spent an evening sharing secrets with and said "It's getting late. You're welcome to sleep here, but it might be kind of awkward to explain to our parents."

"As much as I hate the thought of going back to that pathetic excuse for a home of mine, I do need to get some shut eye." she admitted.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Stay Out Of The Street

The next morning, Helga awoke hugging her pillow after dreaming all night it had been Arnold she was holding close to herself.

 _Oh Arnold! Another day to spend as a happily married couple. I shall strive to overcome my insecurities and open my heart the way you have to me. I shall…_

"Helga!" an irritating voice called out, interrupting her from her warm thoughts.

"What?!" she scowled, lifting her face from the pillow.

"Would you like to go out for some breakfast with mommy, daddy and I?" Olga asked eagerly.

Rolling her eyes at the remark, she sighed "No."

"Okay, bye baby sister."

After laying there a moment, thinking about the annoyance her older sister's overly enthusiastic attitude brought to her each morning, Helga decided to get up and get dressed.

After changing, Helga went downstairs without having to worry about seeing a drunk Miriam past out at the counter. She had the place to herself. She poured herself a bowl of sugar chunk cereal to eat at the counter, thinking about what her day with Arnold would be like.

 _What all is left on that list? We cooked, cleaned, shared secrets with each other. We've still got to think of one to write about that won't publically humiliate us. Then we've got to…_

As Helga was pondering these thoughts, she heard her phone beep. Glancing down at it, she saw Arnold had sent her a text message.

"Hey Helga. You're welcome to come over whenever you're ready."

Sighing sweetly at these words and the thought of him being as anxious to see her as she was him, she replied…

"Be right there, football head."

 _The Boarding House_

After reading her response, Arnold headed downstairs to wait for her in his kitchen.

"Hey shortman! How's it going?" Phil asked.

"Pretty good grandpa. Helga's coming over again to work on our project if that's okay."

"What exactly is it you're doing? I saw you two cooking and cleaning. You taking home ec or something?" Phil asked, scratching his head.

"No, we're supposed to practice being married for a weekend." Arnold explained.

"Practice being married? Why not just make online dating one of your classes?" Phil asked, as he and Arnold heard the doorbell ring.

Before Arnold could respond, they heard a knock at the door. Arnold answered it expecting to see his girlfriend. Instead, he saw his best friend.

"Oh, hey Gerald."

"Hey Arnold! Phoebe and I were on our way to get some doughnuts when we saw Helga being taken away in an ambulance!"

"What?! But I just talked to her a few minutes ago? What happened?" he exclaimed, as he eyes widened with terror.

"I don't know man. Phoebe made sure to give them Helga's family information. As far as reliable people go however, I thought you'd be the better person to contact." Gerald said wittily.

"Thanks Gerald!" Arnold exclaimed as he headed for the kitchen.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!"

"Whoa! What seems to be the trouble shortman? You need marital counseling already? Hehe!" Phil laughed, while Arnold managed to roll his eyes at the joke.

"No! Helga's in the hospital. I need to see her grandpa."

Arnold looked at Phil with pleading eyes as he replied "Alright, take it easy shortman. We'll take the packard. Hopefully, we'll be there awhile so I miss whatever lunch time performance your grandma plans on putting on. Talk about writing an interesting marriage journal. Hehe."

 _The walk to Arnold's_

Helga walked down the street, wondering what personal thoughts and feelings she and Arnold would be sharing with one another that day. It didn't matter that she was within a few blocks of his house. Just the thought of his face gave her the urge to reach for her locket.

As she reached down her shirt, she had trouble finding her treasured item. _Where is it?_ She thought to herself, as she continued to search for it.

 _Did I drop it?_ Helga got down on the ground and started searching what went from the sidewalk to the middle of the street. It wasn't until she heard the constant noises of a nearby horn that she looked up to see she was about to be hit.

As she got up to race for the sidewalk, Helga tripped over her own feet, and slammed her head on the curb.

 _Arnold arrives at the hospital_

"Well, here we are shortman! Now if I could just find a parking space. Oohh, there's a good one! Oh wait, no that's for the ambulances." Phil drove in circles while Arnold anxiously leaned against the window.

"Here we go shortman!" Phil exclaimed, finding a spot as far away from the entrance as possible.

"May not be the closest spot, but at least we won't forget where the car is; 'cause it's parked right next to the street! Hehe." Phil laughed while seeing his grandson shoot across the parking lot.

"Wait up shortman!" the elderly man insisted, while Arnold sighed in frustration. All he wanted was to see Helga. For all he knew, she was sitting in the room alone. Like Gerald said, she didn't have the most reliable family.

When he and his grandpa entered the hospital, Arnold went up to the receptionist "Hi. We're here to see Helga Pataki!"

The lady behind the desk smiled at the young boy's pleading eyes. "She's in room 216. They're getting ready to release her."

A smile came to Arnold's face as he and Phil headed down the hallway. "Well at least she won't be here much longer. I don't know what I find to be creepier about these places. The things they do to you, or what they charge you for it?"

 _Helga's Hospital room_

"Oh baby sister! This is just terrible! I knew I should have just stayed home and made breakfast for everybody!" Olga cried, hugging her sister tightly.

"Oh gimme a break! It's just a bump on the head, which your constant screeching isn't exactly helping heal. Criminy!" Helga scowled, shoving her sister away.

"I don't care how tiny the bump is. This bill sure isn't tiny! Look at this thing Miriam! A thousand dollars for an ambulance ride WITH insurance!" Bob shouted, as Helga crossed her arms looking out the window, thinking to herself _I should have just let that car hit me._

As she sighed thinking about the mess she had made of hers and Arnold's romantic weekend, she heard "Helga?!"

The injured girl turned just in time to feel a set of arms she didn't mind having wrapped around her.

"I was so worried about you! What happened?" Arnold insisted on knowing.

Helga didn't want to admit to being as overly concerned as she was about her locket; especially not in front of their relatives.

"Well I…."

"She decided to hang out in the middle of the street! That's what happened!" Bob exclaimed, holding the bill in his hand.

"Oohh nothing wrong with that! Back in my day, that's where all our games took place!" Phil exclaimed, while the kids rolled their eyes at him.

"Uhh grandpa. Do you think Helga and I could have some privacy?" Arnold asked hopefully.

"Don't bother kid, we're checking out. I'm not paying to stay in this place any longer than I have to." Bob scowled.

Arnold rubbed Helga's hand, looking at the sorrowful facial expression she appeared to be wearing. One that said more than 'this day sucks.'

"Would you like to ride back to the boarding house with me and grandpa. We've still got to work on our project?" he insisted.

"Sure." she said softly, once again smiling at the idea of someone wanting her around. Yes Olga was always happy to see her. It just couldn't be done without her finding a way to show (let alone mention) how successful she was.

"Great! Let's get going." Arnold said anxiously grabbing her.

"Whatever, just don't bump me on the way out of the parking lot again gramps!" Bob warned him as they all headed out the door.

Arnold watched Helga hold her head, staring at the ground all the way to the car. He wondered if maybe their plan to play 'the gratitude game' was still the best idea if her head hurt that much. Either way, he knew she'd get more rest at his place than she would being around the constant screaming and nagging that took place in her own home.

"Well, here's the car kids! Told ya it'd be an easy spot to remember. Hehe." Phil laughed, bumping Arnold's shoulder.

"Uhh right grandpa."

Arnold slid in the back beside Helga, watching her lay her head against the seat with her eyes closed. While she sat there, doing her best not to fall asleep, she felt someone rubbing her hand.

Helga opened her eyes to see her boyfriend holding her hand, smiling at her. As she smiled softly at him, he kissed her on the cheek and said "I'm so glad you're okay. We'll get you some rest at my house."

"Thanks football head." she sighed, shutting her eyes until they made it back to his place.

Arnold sat there holding her hand, gently stroking her hair, thinking to himself about the ungratefulness Bob had shown that his daughter was okay…

 _Thank goodness Gerald came over_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: I Forgot Something

When they pulled up at the house, Helga felt the car coming to a stop. She didn't bother to open her eyes however until she heard Arnold whisper "We're home Helga. Let's get you inside."

Fluttering her eyelashes, she gave her pretend husband a smile as she said "Sounds good to me."

The kids slowly followed behind Phil as Arnold watched Helga continue to hold her head. After making sure to keep her out of the way of the flock of animals heading out the door, he made it inside to hear Phil say "Your grandma made some tacos for lunch shortman!"

Arnold looked over at Helga's exhausted face as he asked "Do you want to eat something?"

After thinking a moment, she said "I think I'd rather just go lay down. Thanks though."

As she headed up the stairs, Arnold went into the kitchen. "She's not too hungry right now grandpa. I think she just wants to lay down."

"Alrighty then. If that's just her way of saying she doesn't trust Pookey's cooking, can't say I'd blame her."

"Uhh right grandpa."

Despite how slow Helga had been moving, Arnold left the kitchen to find she had already made it to his bedroom.

He opened the door to see her curled up on his bed, hugging his pillow tight. It looked as though she had a smile on her face as she breathed in the scent of his pillow.

As Helga laid there with her eyes shut, hugging her beloved's pillow tightly, she felt him sit down beside her. As he placed his hand on her shoulder, he noticed her eyes beginning to flutter.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, It's just a bump on the head. The doctor said my headache should be gone by the end of the weekend." she sighed, not letting go of his pillow.

Although he didn't want to stress her out, he couldn't help but ask "So, what exactly were you doing in the middle of the street?"

"Uhh…" she began to explain, feeling him gently stroke her hair.

"I was just looking for something." she gulped, hoping he would drop it.

"What were you looking for?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Oh criminy, I... OW!" She exclaimed, as she began to feel the tension from the headache caused by her anger.

"Lay back down. You don't need to get worked up about anything right now." he insisted.

Helga laid her head back down against her boyfriend's sweet smelling pillow, while hugging the other one tightly against herself. Arnold watched the comfortable look on her face, which brought a smile to his.

 _Stinky's House_

Sitting in the kitchen with her partner, Lila looked at the list and said "I'm ever so certain we should share a secret with each other Stinky."

"Okie dokie then. What would ya like to know?" Stinky asked, unsure of what to reveal about himself.

"I'm ever so certain I've been wondering why you didn't accept the Yahoo Soda job? All our friends thought you were oh so perfect for the part."

"Because he's a dang fool. That's why."

Lila turned her head to see Mr. Peterson march onto the back porch after overhearing the question.

Knowing his Pa wasn't too thrilled with his decision, Stinky explained "Them actors were using me to make a big joke out of. I may not be the smartest kid, but one thing that experience taught me is how much pride I possess; a million dollars worth."

"That's ever so impressive Stinky!"

"Thanks Ms. Lila. I'll go make us something I know that's worth even more than that."

The sweet redheaded girl watched her classmate head for the kitchen and asked "Gosh Stinky, what's that?"

"Lemon pudding! My favorite pudding!"

 _The Boarding House_

After a few hours had passed, Helga awoke to see herself laying alone in Arnold's room. Although she was ecstatic to be surrounded by the warmth and sweet aroma of his possessions, she laid there wondering to herself…

 _I wonder what happened to my locket?_

Just when she was about to rest her eyes again, she noticed the doorknob turning. There she saw Arnold bringing in a sandwich and some medicine.

"Oh good, you're awake." he smiled, as she began to sit up.

"Uhh yeah. Whatcha got there?" she wondered, while holding onto her head.

"I brought you something for your head. You also need to eat. It'll get rid of your headache faster if you have something in your stomach." he insisted, setting the plate in her hands.

"You didn't have to do that Arnold. The doctor said I'll be fine by Monday." she reminded him.

"You still need to eat something. Besides, I'm your husband. It's my job to take care of you." he winked, wrapping his arm around her.

Helga blushed heavily as she looked down at the sandwich he made for her. Where would she be without someone as sweet and caring as him in her life?

"Thanks Arnold."

Smiling at her innocent response, he replied with his arm wrapped around her "I don't see it often, but I love it when you let me help you. You don't always have to be the 'tough one'."

After finishing her sandwich, which didn't take long to do, she rested her head against his shoulder "I'll probably never admit to saying this, so savor hearing it now. I love it when you take care of me."

A warm feeling came to his heart when these words reached his ears. "I love what a strong person you are, although the way you show it isn't always necessary." he couldn't help but laugh, while seeing her lift her head to look at him.

"You should be happy I'm as tough as I am. A sweet, sensitive guy like you needs a bodyguard. No matter how amazingly admirable those goody two shoes qualities you possess are." she blushed, as he leaned his head against hers.

"I love the way you're just as sweet as you are sour. It's really entertaining." he smiled.

"So, I make you think of candy?" she smiled, thinking about his description of her.

"Yes, long lasting candy." he winked, as he watched her swoon. Feeling her holding his hand against her chest, his eyes widened.

"I completely forgot!"

"What is it?" she asked, cocking her brow, as she watched him race across the room to his computer.

"Sheesh football head, don't trip like I did." she smirked, seeing him nearly trip over his own feet.

"You left this here yesterday. I guess it fell out of your shirt." he blushed, handing her back her locket.

Helga's eyes widened as she practically snatched her treasured item from her beloved's hands.

"I guess that's something we can say you love about me. I found your locket." he laughed.

Helga looked up at him with sad eyes. It was almost as if the locket meant more to her than her actual boyfriend. Perhaps it was because she knew she could have him close to her without ever having to worry about being judged. Now here she had just admitted things she loved about him without thinking twice about what his response to them would be.

"I'm sorry Arnold." she sighed.

"Sorry for what?"

"I was so happy about spending another day with you that my once again constant daydreaming of us caused me to reach into my shirt for my locket. When it wasn't there, I panicked. I didn't realize I had made it to the middle of the street during my search for it when I heard a car coming. I had to race out of the way and that's when I tripped and hit my head." she sighed, looking down at the locket.

"Helga, why is this so important to you? We're together now. Do you really need my picture to remind you how much I care about you?" he asked, shocked by the danger she put herself in for it.

Her lips began to quiver as she did all she could to hold back her tears. "It's just hard to believe someone like you could put up with someone like me, let alone have actual feelings for me. This locket's been the only thing I've had to hold onto that's given me hope."

"Helga I don't just put up with you. I enjoy every moment we spend together and you have no idea how scared I was when Gerald told me you were in the hospital." he said, turning her face towards his.

"Pttss...yeah, I think you're the only one. The only thing that scared Bob was the bill. Olga just can't handle the thought of a sad incident stealing the attention away from her happy spotlight, which is what makes her start the waterworks. Miriam...I didn't even care to consider if she was sober when we were there."

"Well, I'm not going to start a debate right now about why you should believe your family loves you. What I will tell you is you don't need this locket to believe I love you."

A tear did fall from Helga's eye then as Arnold wiped it away for her. Kissing her softly, he leaned his head against hers and said "We should get you home. You need some rest."

"What about our journal entry?" she asked, cocking her brow.

"I'll write it after I walk you home. This should be an interesting day to write about." he laughed, while Helga rolled her eyes, wondering what all he planned on including in it.

 _Helga's House_

When they made it to her front porch, he held her hands on the top step. Looking into her sapphire eyes that shone in the moonlight, he said "I'm so glad you're okay. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Thanks Arnold." she blushed, while feeling him lean into kiss her softly. As their lips parted, he watched a weak smile form on her face, knowing what must be going through her mind.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Be careful coming over."

"See ya football head."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: You Think Of Something

The next morning, Helga awoke to her phone beeping rather than her sister screaming. An irritated moan escaped her after once again being disrupted from her sleep. As she rubbed her sore head with her hand she thought to herself _Criminy! I still feel like I got hit by a truck!_

After most of the sleep was out of her eyes, she reached for her phone that was sitting on the stand beside her bed.

"Good morning Helga. Would you like to come over for breakfast?"

A smile formed on her face, thinking about how sweet Arnold always was to her. If there was anything she was grateful for, it was his caring attitude.

After Helga had gotten dressed and ready, she made her way down the stairs to see Olga cooking in the kitchen. "Baby sister! How's your head? Would you like some yummy waffles?!"

"Pttss...yeah, no thanks." Helga scoffed as she reached for the door, seeing an unexpected face.

"Arnold!"

"Hey Helga. I was worried about you coming over alone, so I decided to walk with you." he explained, while seeing her cock her brow.

"You didn't have to do that Arnold. All I did was hit my head." she sighed, holding the bruised area.

"It could have been much worse. Besides, I wanted to walk with you." he smiled, taking her hand to lead her outside the door with him.

As the two walked down the street towards the boarding house, Helga couldn't help but ask "So, what all did you write in that journal entry last night?"

"Don't worry, I didn't put anything embarrassing in there. At least, I don't think you'll find it embarrassing." he thought out loud.

Rather than responding, Helga began to hold her head as she stared at the sidewalk. Arnold looked over to see the disgruntled look on her face as he asked "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, my head's not that bad. I should feel fine once I eat something." she sighed.

When they arrived at the boarding house, Arnold opened the door as Helga watched the pets pour past her. "Just the thought of dealing with that many animals every day makes my head hurt."

The two then walked into the kitchen to see Phil eating a stack of pancakes.

"Hey shortman! How goes it?"

"Pretty good. Helga's going to eat breakfast with us if that's okay?

"You bet shortman! How's that head of yours?" Phil asked, looking in Helga's direction.

"Eh, it's okay." she sighed, seeing a stack of pancakes being placed in front of her.

"So, what's left on that project of yours shortman? As far as marital exercises go, I think you got stretching the medical bill out of the way. Hehe." Phil bumped his grandson's shoulder, while Arnold hoped Helga wouldn't take offense to it.

"We've still got to come up with a special activity to do." he replied, while seeing Helga quietly munch on her meal.

"Special eh? I'd say ask your grandma, but there's no telling what kind of grade one of her activities would get ya!" Phil warned him.

"Uhh thanks grandpa."

Arnold looked over to see Helga pushing aside her plate.

"Are you finished?" he anxiously asked.

"Yeah, thanks." she sighed, still not feeling back to normal.

Arnold took their plates to the sink and then helped her out of her chair.

"We'll be upstairs working on our journal entry grandpa." Arnold informed him, leaving the room.

"See ya shortman!"

Once they made it upstairs, Helga wasted no time making herself comfortable on the bed. Rather than sitting and waiting for him to join her, she stretched across it, shutting her eyes.

After Arnold had grabbed the journal, he took a seat on the bed beside his girlfriend. Smiling down at her, he began to brush the hair out of her face. A deep sigh released from her as she felt him stroking where she had hit her head.

He whispered "Do you want to hear the journal entry?"

Helga opened her eyes, sitting herself up as she softly sighed "Sure."

 _Today the scariest event that has ever taken place in my life occurred. I opened the front door to receive news from my best friend that my wife was being taken away in an ambulance!_

 _My grandfather and I rushed to the hospital to find her waiting in a room with her parents and older sister. I was told she tripped crossing the street and hit her head on the curb. Thankfully, her injury was light enough for her to be allowed to leave that day._

 _When I brought her home, she was happy to spend the rest of the day in bed. Although her injury wasn't too severe, the pain wasn't too light._

 _I made her a sandwich for dinner after seeing she felt rested enough to eat dinner. As I sat beside her, thinking about how scary it would have been to lose her, I thought about how grateful I was for her._

 _She and I both realized traits we love about the other one that are what make us irresistible to each other. I love and appreciate the strong, loyal, brave, smart, poetic person she's always been. I don't know what I would have done if something worse had happened to her._

 _It warmed my heart to hear her tell me how much she appreciates when I take care of her. It's always nice to feel needed (no matter how strong you know someone is)._

 _She's shared so many secrets with me these past two days. I can only hope we continue to grow closer._

Arnold watched tears form in Helga's eyes as she read his sweet words all the way through the entry. When she finished reading, her eyes looked up at his as she asked "Is he not going to wonder what the secrets were that we shared? I don't think we ever thought of one that was… uhh appropriate to put in here."

"No, but it didn't say anywhere on that list that we had to mention what the secrets were. That's why they're called _secrets._ Doi!" he teased her, while watching her roll her eyes at him.

"Oh don't flatter yourself." she scoffed, setting aside the paper.

Arnold laid down beside her, wrapping his arm around her, as he asked "What do you want our special activity to be? I figured making you breakfast could be the special gesture. We can also say you gave me your tapioca if you want." he smiled.

"Technically, your grandma made us breakfast. I'm not looking for extra work though, so that sounds like a good plan to me. As far as the special activity goes, I'm happy to spend the rest of the day like this." she sighed, holding him tight.

"I don't think he'll accept a journal entry that says _mine and my wife's special activity was spending the day in bed together."_

"You are such a football head! Fine, you think of something while I lay here and work on _my_ special activity." she scoffed, closing her eyes, no longer caring about the assignment.

While Helga's eyes were shut, Arnold's stayed focused on the clouds hovering over him which he could see through his glass plated ceiling. As he kept his arm around his girlfriend, rubbing her shoulder, he thought about how true his journal entry was. Hearing Helga was in danger without knowing exactly what had happened was petrifying.

 _City Lake_

"Great idea making the lake our special activity Sid!" Nadine said, happy to have someone who wasn't repulsed by her interests.

"No problem. I can't get enough of the water, mud, frogs...every year I look forward to the frog catching competition!" Sid exclaimed.

"Someone should mention an insect competition to them. There are all different species roaming the area that could be caught if a competion was formed." Nadine said excitedly.

"Not to mention plenty of frogs to help catch them with." Sid added, as he held up Sydney.

 _The Boarding House_

A few hours later, Helga awoke, feeling something warm on top of her. After grabbing ahold of it, with her eyes remaining shut, she thought to herself _where did this come from?_

Helga sat up to see she was alone in Arnold's bed with an extra blanket thrown on top of her. As she sat up, she thought to herself _what happened to Arnold?_

She began to turn towards the side of the bed just as someone walked in carrying a bowl of soup and a glass of tea.

"Hey, how's your head?" Arnold asked, seeing the puzzling look she was giving him.

"It's fine. What's all this?"

"I decided me taking care of you this weekend could be the special activity we write about." he replied, giving her his signature smile.

"You don't have to do that Arnold. Like you said, Simmons doesn't want to read about us spending all day in bed together."

"I'm not going to write about taking a nap. I'm going to write about making you feel better. Making you feel better is what makes me feel better." he smiled.

Propping the pillow against the head of the bed, the injured girl sighed "Okay, you asked for it. I'm gonna need the remote, an extra pillow, a couple of sodas, a bottle of painkillers and when you get a second, replace this bowl of soup with a burger."

"Whatever you say Helga."

A few hours later, after Helga had filled her stomach and gone through a third of the painkillers Arnold brought her, she laid stretched out on his bed, watching him work on their last entry.

"Make sure to emphasize the severity of my condition." she smirked.

After not receiving a response from him, she thought to herself _I never did think of a thoughtful gesture. Arnold's been taking care of me nonstop, while the best I could do was turn down his dessert._

"Well, I'm finished." Arnold said happily, bringing it over for her to read.

Helga anxiously sat up, wondering how hard it would be not to cry after reading it.

 _Today I thought a nice gesture for my wife would be making her breakfast. After she and I enjoyed some pancakes together, I could see she hadn't fully recovered from her fall yesterday. When we went upstairs, she immediately laid down on the bed to rest her head. After watching this, I realized how scared I was yesterday when I heard the news about what had happened to her, and how relieved I still am that she's okay. Therefore, I decided to make our special activity spending the weekend helping her fully recover. I've made her meals, brought her blankets, given her medicine. Having her safely beside me brings more happiness to me than anyone could ever know._

Tears not only formed, but fell from Helga's face as she held the entry thinking to herself _he's done so much for me, and I haven't done a single thing for him this weekend!_

Arnold watched the sadness in her eyes. After taking the paper away, he held her hands and asked "What's wrong?"

"I haven't done anything for you this weekend. You've been taking care of me left and right. What kind of wife am I?"

Arnold pulled her close to him, giving her a lingering kiss. As he wiped the tears from her eyes, he looked into them and said "You're an amazing one! Plus, how bad would I look in this thing if I said _I made my injured wife spend the weekend doing things for me?_ "

Rolling her eyes at his joke, she scoffed "Shut up Arnoldo."

After a moment of silence, he whispered "It's getting late. I'll walk you home."

The two stood up as Helga took a look at everything Arnold had done for her that afternoon; covers, movies, food, drinks, medicine.

A guilty look stayed on her face as the two of them walked down the sidewalk. "So, this was an interesting weekend." Arnold said, rubbing his neck.

"Yeah. Thank goodness it's over." she sighed.

"Why do you say that?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Because all it was was you taking care of me. We didn't do anything romantic like you wanted. Heck, I should say I didn't do anything. You were busy busting your tail to make sure I had everything I needed. Sheesh." she rolled her eyes, not knowing what good he could possibly have seen come out of it.

As they made it to her porch, he turned to say to her "Helga, a huge part of being married is being willing to take care of your partner in their time of need. It doesn't matter if it's fun or not. When you're committed to someone, that's just one of the ways you prove it to them; by always being there for them in their time of need." he explained.

She smiled softly, while feeling him rub her hands as they stood by her front door. "I guess so. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night. Feel better."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Least I Could Do

The next day Arnold was sitting in class, wondering why he hadn't seen Helga on the bus.

"Hey Arnold! Where's Helga? She still in the hospital?" Gerald asked, snapping his friend out of his thoughts.

"I don't know where she is." Arnold shrugged his shoulders.

"You're quite a husband." Gerald said wittily, while Arnold rolled his eyes at the remark.

Arnold nervously watched the clock, seeing there were only two minutes remaining before the first period would begin, when he suddening heard…

"Out of my way Pink boy!"

Arnold sighed with relief as his classmate ached with pain after being shoved to the ground for blocking the doorway.

"OW! Madame Fortress Mommy!"

Helga took a seat behind her boyfriend, not bothering to make eye contact with him. As he was about to turn to ask how she was, Mr. Simmons entered the room.

"Hello class! Today is going to be a very special day. You get to turn in your marital journals! So, if you would all please pass them to the front, I'll grade them at lunch time."

Helga again didn't attempt to make eye contact with Arnold after passing the papers forward. After not seeing her on the bus that morning, Arnold knew something was obviously wrong. As much as he wanted to pass a note back to hear, he decided it may be best to discuss what was on her mind at lunch. That is, if she was willing to share it with him.

 _Lunch Time_

When the bell for lunch at last came, Arnold whipped around to ask "Are you ready for lunch?"

"Well, I'm not sitting here any longer than I have to, that's for sure." she scoffed.

Holding Helga's hand into the hallway, he noticed her pulling him into the opposite direction of the cafeteria.

"Where are you going?"

"I need something from my locker." she replied anxiously.

Arnold wasn't sure what it could be. They weren't given any homework already. Even if they had been, she wasn't the type to spend their lunch period working on it.

When they made it there, Arnold saw her pulling her lunchbox out.

"Did your mom remember to make you a lunch this morning?!" he asked eagerly.

"Pttss...yeah, that'll be the day." she smirked at the idea of him thinking there would ever be a chance of that happening.

She handed him her lunchbox, watching him raise an eyebrow at her. "What's this for?"

"I was up late last night thinking about all the sweet things you did for me this weekend. I didn't do one nice thing for you. Then this morning I thought the least I could do was make you lunch." she blushed, rubbing the back of her neck.

Arnold's eyes fell half lidded as he pulled her in to kiss her. "So, it this why you were late?" he asked, slowly letting go of her lips.

"Yeah, it was kind of a last minute thing."

"Come on. Let's go eat. Not without getting some pudding to go along with it though." he smiled, as they held hands into the cafeteria.

"Whatever floats your boat football head."

 _ **THE END**_

 _ **THANKS FOR READING**_

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW!**_


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